Feel Good Friday: A Champion of Varying Degrees

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - University of Toledo professor, Dr. Cora Lind-Kovacs, is a woman of many talents.

She’s an expert in chemistry and biochemistry, and also a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

“Some students think, ‘oh professors, they spend 100% of their time, in the lab, in the office, they do nothing other than work’,” she said, adding, “I think it’s good for students to see that we are people like them. We may have studied a little longer....but we still have things outside work that excite us!”

This summer, she represented the U.S. at the World Championships in Amsterdam. The American team placed second overall in the medal count, with Dr. Lind-Kovacs earning a bronze in patterns and a silver in sparring.

The 47-year-old’s accomplishment is commendable on its own, but it’s also a testament to her will and discipline. Six years ago, a motorcycle crash left her with a serious knee injury.

“I could not do martial arts for about one-and-a-half years,” she recalled. “The focus I usually put in my martial arts, I put in my physical therapy.”

To this day, she gives her therapist credit for literally getting her back on her feet. He died last December, and Dr. Lind-Kovacs says she competed in his memory in Amsterdam.

So what happens next?

Dr. Lind-Kovacs said with a smile: “I’m thinking, three years from now, there will be another World’s. They always say you should do something special for your 50th birthday, so, why not!”

If you have an idea to submit for “Feel Good Friday with Sashem Brey,” click here.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WTVG. All rights reserved.